Wednesday, January 24, 2007

What is Paris by Night?

"Paris by Night" is the name of a modern, yet fictional, role-playing game setting. There, the adventures of supernatural creatures controlled by the players of the game unfold. This is a Paris similar to the real-life city in many ways: its geographical location is the same, its political and topographical organizations are the same. On the mortals' side of the veil, this is the same Paris.

There is another side to this Paris, though. A side that stirs in the shadows and preys on all the life it can consume.

Beyond the veil, supernatural creatures are struggling for the control of the City of Lights. They may be vampires, werewolves, mages or even creatures yet unknown to mortals. They all share an interest in Paris, whether it is political, occult or personal in nature, and all understand the necessity to stay away from the scrutiny of the mundane world.

The struggle itself is complex, its history including many actors, many twists and turns, most of which remain mysterious to the very players of this deadly game. For as long as mortals inhabited the area there were monsters reaching from the shadows and competing for control. This is what the struggle is truly about: control. Control of the mortal population, control of Paris' many resources, control over each and everyone's right to exist.

This, after all, is a World of Darkness. In this world, if mortals believe legends and myths to be fairy tales, a selected few know these tales relate hidden truths and forlorn mysteries which could be discovered by the masses were it not for the lies and disinformation the monsters stirring from the shadows have been spreading all along.

Now is the time to write a new chapter in this eternal struggle.

Let us follow the steps of a few creatures of the night. You will serve as a witness to many events, some of them glorious, some of them horrific in nature, which will all serve a greater design in showing what is so alien to us and therefore so alike within the hearts of these modern monsters.

If Paris truly is the City of Lights, then certainly she cannot exist without deep shadows as well.

Come now. Let us hear the Ballade of the Hanged. How the monsters came to Paris and became major actors in its endless cycle of bloody strifes and wondrous revelations. This is a night to remember, my friend. If you want to step away, you can still do so without shame, but if you want your eyes to open, realize that once the veil is lifted, there is no come back.

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About Me

Frenchman living on the Central Coast of British Columbia, I spent my childhood between Lorraine, Normandy and the French Ardennes. I am a game-designer, developer and cartographer with Ernest G. Gygax Jr. at GP Adventures LLC.

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